9/25/13 Blog site responses

 http://cindyleelarochelle.wordpress.com http://understandinglearningtheory.blogspot.com/

Module 2

Cognitivism as a Learning Theory

Bill Kerr makes an excellent point in his first blog.  Learning theories just seem to be a bunch of _isms. Constructivism, behaviourism, cognitivism and connectivism are all learning theories that describe how students learn in an educational setting.  These theories can be confusing at times, but also extremely beneficial for students learning in the classroom.  In my undergraduate and graduate studies I have always read that these learning theories are essential to the learning process and development of students over a period of time.  Recently I have been made aware of new research that suggests that these learning theories are outdated and no longer necessary for students to be successful in the classroom.  Learning theories have always been there for teachers to hopefully incorporate into their planning sessions to meet the changing needs and learning styles of the students in their classes.  Cognitivism and behaviorism are both creditable learning theories that cover different ends of the spectrum.  Cognitivism focuses more on the development of the mind and how students learn and process the information.  Both of the discussions in the blogs seemed to be back and forth with comments for the theories and comments against the theories.  Personally I see benefits in both of the theories and find them to be helpful in the classroom.  There are some instances in the classroom when the behaviorist approach would be the most beneficial for my students to learn new material.  English Language Learners can learn well by applying behaviorist learning principles to my lessons in the classrooms.  They require daily interaction, practice, and reinforcement every time a new skill is mastered.  Cognitivism can also be used in the ELL classroom, but with more advanced ELLs who have to learn more difficult lessons and information.  Another issue to keep in mind is that these blogs were written several years ago and discussed on the Internet.  As the years have passed there have been multiple updates and research that has been conducted that has updated or changed the ideas behind these theories.  In some cases there may be studies out there that have proven that some of these theories no longer belong in education.    

References


Kerr, B. (2007, January 1). _isms as filter, not blinker [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/2007/01/isms-as-filter-not-blinker.html

Kapp, K. (2007, January 2). Out and about: Discussion on educational schools of thought [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.kaplaneduneering.com/kappnotes/index.php/2007/01/out-and-about-discussion-on-educational/

 Driscoll, M. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3^rd ed.). Boston, MA: Peason Education

Module 1

What are your beliefs about how people learn best? What is the purpose of learning theory in educational technology?

I believe that students learn best in several different learning sceanarios.  Research has provided several examples of learning theories that describe the types of learners out there and how they learn best.  There are also several different learning syles that offer suggestions on how students learn the best.  Theselearning styles are based on periods of research and theories over several years.  The belief is that through learning styles such as visual, auditory, and kinesthetic styles students can learn what is being taught in the classroom.  I believe that with good and effective engaging lessons that all students are capable of learning new material.  Teachers have the power and knowledge to create interesting lessons to challenge their students to learn new concepts and ideas.  Even if you take the various learning styles tests they provide you with three different learning styles that suit each learner.  Effective teachers create lessons that meet more than one of these learning styles allowing more and more students to learn the material.  There are several different purposes for learning theory in educational technology.  Educational technology can be the motivating factor brings about the changes in a student's performance.  "Theories of learning focus on and describe the process of learning." (Driscoll, 2005. p. 23).  Educational technology provides the tools of knowledge and accessories that allows learning to take place.  Technology provides students with task based instruction and opportunities for practice and positive reinforcement on major skills in all of the core subject areas.  For example USAtestprep provides students in Georgia with quizzes, tests, study guides, and games to prepare them for state testing.  This website provides standards based practice for everything in the curriculum for all of the students in Georgia.  According to Driscoll technology can be used to facilitate a learner's acquisition of a learning goal (Driscoll, 2005. p. 23).  

References

Driscoll, M. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.